'Nothingizing' the human drama

A few years ago I was working as one of numerous computer graphics operators in a large Wall Street firm. Although we were low on the corporate totem pole, the materials we created were an integral part of consummating deals involving millions of dollars; consequently the pressure on us was enormous.

Instead of being supportive, the management was often critical and hostile toward me. I felt I was being harassed. This led to mistakes in my work, and generated even more fear. It became a vicious cycle. Although I frequently prayed about the situation on my days off, by the time I’d arrive back at work, the anxiety would have always returned.

I thought I was alone in my misery until one day I was surprised to learn that some of my colleagues felt so harassed and anxious on the job that they were actually going to medical doctors, chiropractors, and psychotherapists to help them deal with the stress! This enabled me to see the impersonal nature of the problem.

One morning I arrived at work early and decided to pray earnestly about the situation. As I turned to God, two things came to me. One was to mentally detach myself from the human drama, namely, harassed employees working in a pressure-cooker environment and struggling with an abusive management group. The other was a favorite quote, which is part of a sentence from Mary Baker Eddy’s book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. It reads: “… this seeming vacuum is already filled with divine Love” (p. 266 ).

From these two thoughts I realized that I needed to “nothingize,” that is, mentally detach from not only the drama going on around me, but also from the entire belief that I am a mortal, separate from God. I further realized that when one “nothingizes” mortality, what remains is not a vacuum, but spiritual reality—Love’s omnipresence, filling the entire universe. I also understood more clearly that I exist, not as a material being, subject to the whims of circumstance, but as God’s spiritual reflection, complete, harmonious, and subject only to Love.

These words from the Bible came to me as well: “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5 ).

Now is the time to stand with the truth!

This quote enabled me to see that, from a human standpoint, the corporate world may appear as a dog-eat-dog environment from which God is absent. However, from a scientifically spiritual perspective, God is actually omnipresent, and the only thing truly going on is divine Love. Therefore, I logically concluded that right there, in the midst of the corporate environment, I was standing on holy ground. In fact, since God is omnipresent, wherever we are standing is holy ground.

All of this occurred very quickly, and by the time my shift began, I had transitioned from a state of agitation, to one of total peace.

A moment later, my manager arrived. I noticed that her entire demeanor had softened, and when she spoke to me, there was, for the first time in many months, not even a hint of abuse. It was as if this entire drama had never happened, and the spiritual fact is that it hadn’t, because God truly is always present.

With immense gratitude, I recognized that a healing had taken place, and silently rejoiced in that “sweet and certain sense that God is Love” (Science and Health, p. 569 ).

What occurred next tested my understanding of what I had just learned. As soon as I picked up my first assignment for the day, I once again became terrified. You see, two weeks earlier, I had worked on a job utilizing some software before it had been debugged. Through no fault of my own, the project did not turn out well and a complaint was filed against me.

Now this type of job had come up again, and the fear hit me like a tidal wave! But then the thought came: “I’ve just had a magnificent healing; I’ve witnessed the fact that God reigns supreme and is All-in-all. Now is the time to stand with the truth! While I may not know how to work this program, Mind knows! I will trust divine Mind to guide me to the right solution.”

I walked back to my desk, mentally shouting these truths, in order to subdue the panic. A moment later, it occurred to me to consult with one of our troubleshooters, who was able to get the program to run. This time, the job was completed satisfactorily.

I was so grateful that the immediate challenge had been resolved by standing up to fear. But more significantly, as a result of my earlier prayer, from that moment on, I continued to experience peace and harmony on the job. Never again did I experience even a vestige of harassment or abuse from my superiors, although it appeared that the other employees did not experience a change in their situation.

What amazed me about this healing is that the entire situation, which seemed so overwhelming at the time, was deleted in one fell swoop by simply “nothingizing” the drama, and walking away from it. And the results were permanent!

Ever since this experience, I have found it helpful to practice “nothingizing” not just the major challenges, but also the daily human drama. This involves detaching thought from material conditions and identifying completely with spiritual reality. For me it’s best accomplished by beginning with prayer on awakening and continuing in prayer throughout the day. When I remain in this mode, there is harmony. And when there is inner harmony, the outer circumstances come into alignment as well.

I find this verse from Job so inspiring: “Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee” (22:21 ). It is indeed “a light unto my path” (Psalms 119:105 ).